Psalm 34

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

A Song of the Saved

Believers should themselves praise the Lord for His goodness and deliverance.
Believers should teach others to praise the Lord for His goodness and deliverance.

What type of psalm is Psalm 34?
What was the occasion for the writing of this psalm?
What does it mean to boast in the Lord?
Who is the Angel of the Lord (verse 7)?
What are the three commands for fearing the Lord in verses 12-14?
How does the hermeneutical principle “Allow for the fuller meaning of Scripture” apply to verses 20-22?

It is an alphabetic acrostic psalm, based on the Hebrew alphabet.
David wrote this psalm when he was fleeing from King Saul, and pretended madness before King Achish of Gath (1 Samuel 21).
To boast in the Lord means to talk about what the Lord has done in your life and not just talk about yourself.
The Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament was the preincarnate Christ. So the Lord Himself is our defense and security.
1) Control your tongue 2) Separate from evil and do good 3) Pursue peace
In the context of Psalm 34, these verses are a general expression of God’s protection of the believer. But under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John applied this in a literal way to the Lord’s crucifixion (John 19:36).

Discuss the emphasis on “themselves” in the doctrinal point “Believers should themselves praise the Lord for His goodness and deliverance.” In what way to we tend to rely on others to praise the Lord for us? How can we be more personally involved in praising the Lord?
Read Psalm 34:17-19. Like David, believers will experience troubles in this life. Discuss how believers are not delivered from troubles, but out of troubles. Compare John 16:33.

"I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." Psalm 34:1
"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" Psalm 34:8